UBC People

Tom Boyce elected to the Institute of Medicine

Tom Boyce, the Sunny Hill Health Centre/ B.C. Leadership Chair in Child Development and a professor with the Human Early Learning Partnership at UBC, was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Boyce’s research aims to understand how a child’s socioeconomic status and life experiences shape their lifelong health and development.

David Snadden appointed Executive Associate Dean, Education, in the Faculty of Medicine

In his new position, effective November 1, 2011, Dr. David Snadden will provide strategic leadership for education programs within the Faculty of Medicine. He has led the Northern Medical Program since its beginning and has served as the Regional Associate Dean, Northern British Columbia since July 2008.

UBC Opera Director Nancy Hermiston honoured at The Rubies

UBC Opera director and University Marshal Nancy Hermiston was honoured at The Opera Canada Awards (The Rubies) on Oct. 5 in Toronto, along with Russell Braun and Jacqueline Desmarais inrecognition of her outstanding achievements on stage and behind the scenes.

Hermiston’s operatic career has taken her throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. Her New York début took place in Carnegie Hall with Marilyn Horne and Mario Bernardi. Her European début led to a permanent engagement with the prestigious Nürnberg Opera. She has held numerous appointments as a voice teacher, as stage director at the Meistersinger Konservatorium, Nürnberg, and at the University of Toronto opera and performance divisions. She has worked with UBC’s School of Music since 1995.

On Nov. 10-13, UBC Opera presents their new production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible, directed by Hermiston. To further explore the themes along with the opera, a series of preshow lectures will give further insight into what historical and modern lessons The Crucible brings. Participants will include Ben Goold, Jessica Wang, Rumee Ahmed, Daniel Vickers and Gage Averill. For more information, visit http://www.music.ubc.ca/student-ensembles/opera/.

Gurdeep Parhar receives 2011 Alumnus of Distinction Award

Gurdeep Parhar, Associate Dean, Equity and Professionalism, and clinical assistant professor in the Dept. of Family Practice, was recognized for his outstanding contributions to medical education by the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine.

CRC recognizes outstanding peer review contributions

Prof. John R. Grace from the Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Assoc. Prof. Clay Smith, formerly of the Dept. of Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplant have been recognized for their efforts in reviewing applications to the Canada Research Chairs Program.

Each year 1,200 top scientists and scholars contribute their time to ensure that all Canada Research Chairs are awarded based on an independent peer review process that adheres to the highest international standards of quality and integrity.

UBC opens new Tennis Centre

UBC officially opened the new Tennis Centre last Friday. The new facility houses eight indoor and one outdoor courts and is open to the public. UBC students, staff, faculty and members of the Lower Mainland community are also invited to use the new high-performance centre.

Faculty of Arts Buchanan Courtyard Renew project recognized

The UBC Faculty of Arts Buchanan Courtyard Renewproject, designed by Vancouver design firm PFS Landscape Architects, has placed in the staff choice category in the Design Exchange (DX) Awards. Each year the DX staff, a group of designers, artists and museum professionals select up to three projects that deserve special recognition. The award will be presented at a ceremony on Nov. 23 in Toronto.

The project is also being featured in the Twenty + Change Exhibit in Toronto which will be travelling across the country next year.

The Neglected Global Diseases Initiative (NGDI) at UBC presents Stephen Lewis at their third Distinguished Lectureship Seminar on Oct. 21. Lewis, a Distinguished Visiting professor at Ryerson University, is the board chair of the Stephen Lewis foundation, and co-founder and co-director of AIDS-Free World in the U.S. He will speak on the topic of neglected global diseases. For more info, visit http://ngdi.ubc.ca/

Celebrate Learning Week with UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences invites the community to attend the Celebrate Learning Seminars and Poster Session during Celebrate Learning Week at UBC. The speakers include Dr. Stephen Chapman, Head, School of Pharmacy and Dept. of Medicines Management, Keele University, UK and Dr. Kevin Eva, Senior Scientist, Centre for Health Education Scholarship and associate professor and director, Education Research and Scholarship, Dept. of Medicine at UBC.

Open scholarship at Open UBC

Open UBC will be held Oct. 24-30 in conjunction with International Open Access Week, which encourages the academic community to come together to share and learn about open scholarship initiatives locally and worldwide. Open UBC showcases a week of diverse events highlighting areas of open scholarship that UBC’s researchers, faculty, students and staff participate in. These events include discussion forums, lectures, seminars, workshops, and symposia on topical and timely issues from every discipline.

Everyone is invited to participate either by organizing events, highlighting events already coinciding with the Week, or attending the events to be scheduled. All of these events are free admission and open to the public, students, faculty, staff and schools.

Visit Open UBC to find out how to participate and to view the full schedule of events.

New series: UBC Music students give downtown lunchtime performances

A new series brings UBC Music students downtown for lunchtime performances made possible by an anonymous donor. Six weekly performances will feature a variety of ensembles and genres, including piano solo, opera, instrumental chamber music, choral music, and big band jazz.

Oct. 17: UBC Chamber Strings and string chamber ensembles.

Oct. 24: UBC Opera Ensemble. Solo arias and ensemble pieces including preview selections of their production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible.

Oct. 31: University Singers: A preview of their November tour to Colorado to perform at the National Collegiate Choral Organization conference at Colorado State University.

Free tickets: Global Civic Policy Society Public Salon

As part of a continuing collaboration between Green College, UBC, and The Global Civic Policy Society organization (directed by former mayor of Vancouver Sam Sullivan), Green College is offering the UBC community a limited number of complimentary tickets (reg. $20) to a Public Salon hosted by Sullivan.

Entitled “Ideas That Move The City,” the program includes Max Cameron, professor of Political Science at UBC, Judy Illes, professor of Neurology and Canada Research Chair in Neuroethics at UBC, Dr. Shimi Kang, mental health and addictions expert, Peter Klein, Emmy award-winning filmmaker and journalist, John Korsrud, Vancouver Composer, founder and director of the Hard Rubber Orchestra, Dale MacKay, winner of Canada’s Top Chef, Shannen O’Brian, executive director of Create Change, and Setty Pendakur, urban planner and international consultant.

UBC pharmacy students compete for the title of Mr. Pharmacist

On Oct. 21, 2011, male students from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC will be participating in the inaugural Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) Mr. Pharmacist Pageant.

Asia Pacific Memo update

For current issues in Asia and across the Pacific, the Asia Pacific Memo series publishes short text memos or video interviews twice-weekly via email.

Asia Pacific Memo launched a new theme issue, “Water, Scarcity, and the Frontiers on the Tibetan Plateau”. The first Memo, by UBC PhD candidate Tashi Tsering, is titled “China’s Water Diversion Plans on the Tibetan Plateau”.